Implementation Overview

Approach

The California State University (CSU) Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) uses a capability maturity model strategy to achieve its vision for accessibility. The model establishes Goals and Success Indicators, which are measured by Status Levels. This strategy focuses on building campus and system capacity to enable continuous improvement and institutionalization of processes that reliably, sustainably, and successfully deliver accessible services for all users.

Our implementation approach targets the following objectives:

  • Establish strong administrative/executive support
  • Ensure continuous quality improvement
  • Prioritize projects/activities
  • Identify specific goals/success indicators
  • Document progress via yearly implementation cycle
  • Drive vendor improvements to product accessibility support

Yearly Implementation Cycle

The ATI uses a yearly implementation cycle which includes planning, making and reporting progress made by the campus during the year:

  • Creating an ATI Plan - working with the ATI executive steering committee and subcommittees, create a yearly ATI action plan:
    • Prioritize ATI tasks based on impact 
    • Select ATI tasks that the campus will work on for the upcoming year
    • Identify specific success indicators that the selected ATI tasks will impact
    • Obtain funding to add new positions or add ATI tasks to existing positions
    • Integrate efforts between ATI executive committee and subcommittees
    • Obtain buy-in across the campus as processes and procedures change
  • Working the plan: 
    • Meet regularly to discuss plan, assess progress, create subtasks
    • Report barriers to ATI executive steering committee as they arise
    • Request or obtain additional resources or funding, as required
  • Submitting the ATI Yearly Report:
    • Create an ATI report for each of the three priority areas to document progress made throughout the year, being mindful to include specific evidence as required for a chosen status level. Reported Status Levels are subject to audit by Audit and Advisory Services (CSU Office of the Chancellor)